Improvement in windmills



UNITED STATES PATENT GEErcE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WBNMILLS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 119,972, dated October 17, 1871.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, MONTGOMERY Cnoss- MAN and PRATT A. SPIcER, both of the city of Marshall, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain Improvements in Windmills, of which the following is a specification:

Our invention relates to the combination, with a wind-wheel having fixed wind-wings and with the appurtenances upon which said wheel rotates to face the wind, of a winged and weighted lever to be operated by the Wind, and also, by gravity, to oscillate back and forth in a plane which is more or less oblique withthe face of the windwheel, our object being to regulate and govern the wind-wheel, as regards its proper presentation before the wind, by means of this lever alone, and without the use and aid of a vane or tail on the wheel-shaft.

Figure lis a side elevation, showing the position of the obliquely-moving lever when the wind- Wheel faces the wind squarely. Fig. 2 is a top view, showing the position of the lever when the wheel is carried partially around sq as to present its feathered edge -to the wind.

A is the post or mast of the mill, broken off. B is the hollow and open vertical pivot, secured and hung to the post in bearings in the brackets b b. D is the turn-table, carrying the pivot centrally at'B. The turn-table has a raised bearing, d, at each end, in which bearings the wind-wheel j shaft S is hung, and, in addition to such bearings,

. wheel, is provided at its free end with either one very large or several smaller wind-wings, M, let in and secured to two cross-bars, n, at a suitable angle to catch the wind and cause the lever-arm to oscillate from the vertical equilibrium, either with or contrary to the wheels working motion. One of the outer wings is shown at M, and we did not deem it necessary to further exhibit them,

as they would simply exhibit in front elevation a short section of the winged rim of the wind- Wheel.- c is the balancing-arm, iiained or otherwise connected with the wind-wing arm e, at/av suitable angle with it, and is hung by the hinge h to the ear i of the turn-table. The wind-win g arm is also hung to the turn-table, but at the opposite side and end. The arm e projects sufficiently beyond the center of oscillation, and is furnished with a weight, W, and usually, also, with a lateral weight,W/, at the end of a proj cctin g stud, over which stud angle-braces pass to stiiien the arm when in a horizontal position. This weight is shown in otted lines to avoid obscuring the hinge. such two points on the turn-table that, when the lever is oscillated downward to a horizontal line, the winged head Will have diverged from the wheel enough past the vertical center at B to counterbalance and neutralize the action of the Wind on the feathered wheel; or, in other words, the resistance to the wind will be equal on each side of the wheels center of horizontal rotation, and the wheel will be steadily held, feathering the wind as long as its force prevents Th governor-lever should be hung at f the weights W and W from overbalancing the s ever on the wheel-shaft The preponderancy of w weights on the bracing and\balancingarm will hold the governor-lever vertical, or nearly so, against thewind-pressure on the angular wings or sails M so long as the wind-wheel is not running too fast; but should an excessive motion be threatened the increased pressureof the wind acting on the wings M, Src., will overcome that gravity vin the exact ratio of such increase of pressure, and, by oscillating the governor-lever,

will so act upon the turn-table as to cause the m face of the wheel to be carried more or less'l from the Wind. It is evident that, were no provision made, the decreasing and` increasing impact surface .of the lever-Wings, as the Wheel is thus swung around, would seriously ai'ect the governing power; but this is compensated for by the projecting side Weight W, which loses and gains preponderancy during the respective ascent and descent of the Weight W, and thus prevents spasmodic action. As the governor-lever is only designed to be oscillated about a quarter of a circle, suitable stops, as, for instance, shown at f and j", should be attached to the turn-table;

and a rope (not shown) leading from the arm and passing through the pivot B to the ground may be used to lash the lever to a horizontal positionV ...and keeprtlll@ Wind-WhlY 0111; 0f gearwith the Y speed, but makes it, in a much higher degree than is common, self-protective against sudden wind-storms, dispenses with the vane, and permits of a simple, compact, and economical construction.

We claim as our invention- In a Windmill, the Winged and Weighted governor-lever E, so hung` to the turn-table as to oscillate, by the 'power of Wind and gravity, in a plane more or less oblique with the face of the Wind-wheel, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

MONTGOMERY CROSSMAN. PRATT A, SPIOER. Witnesses: 'i i 'l t G. CRANsToN,

OTTO L. JoHNsoN. (118) 

